Migrant deaths: Tanzania hunts driver

Dar es Salaam - Police in Tanzania are hunting a truck driver who let 43 Ethiopian migrants suffocate to death inside his vehicle, before dumping the bodies and abandoning survivors.

A Tanzanian police spokesperson, Luppy Kung'alo, said on Wednesday: "A man hunt is going on for the driver of the truck that abandoned the Ethiopian immigrants by the roadside."

Eighty-two other people were inside the truck in the central Dodoma province on Tuesday, about 400km west of the economic capital Dar es Salaam, police said, as they updated an earlier death toll of 42.

Survivors told police that while they were locked inside the truck they had screamed to the driver to stop after several people passed out due to the lack of air, said local police chief Zelothe Stephen.

When the driver finally stopped, he ordered the migrants dump the corpses and clean the truck, but then roared off leaving the Ethiopians behind in a remote area.

The migrants are believed to have left their native Ethiopia several months ago and were heading south towards Malawi, officials said.

Last week, the bodies of 47 Ethiopians were recovered from Lake Malawi, which forms much of the border with Tanzania, after their overcrowded boat capsized.

Comments

Marius Koen - 2012-06-27 21:26

Wow, what a bad man.

Gerda Malherbe - 2012-06-27 22:01

Probably all heading for South Africa, the land of free milk and honey for the whole of Africa

kumbirai.thembani - 2012-06-27 22:14

Free honey and milk? Remember there is no free launch, everythin involves a cost.i strongly believe you need to expagorate more on free honey and milk!

kumbirai.thembani - 2012-06-27 22:09

I feel sorry for those who died but i strongly propose that africa states must form an organisation to clearly look at the current immigration laws amongst african states ,to try and ease the conditions to avoid illigal movements which result in these problems.

lewis.injesi1 - 2012-06-28 05:51

SO BAD,MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE.

lewis.injesi1 - 2012-06-28 05:52

TOO BAD,MAY THEIR SOULS REST IN PEACE

Philip Buys - 2012-06-28 08:12

@kumbirai.thembani These guys have no work, no nothing. Their goverments have already gone through the movements, the anc is going. All wealth have bee taken, givin to the poor and consumed. Nothing left. Now they start to move South to where there is still oppurtunity. To them South Africa looks like the land of milk and honey. If they play their cards right, obtain Rsa id books, and vote in the next election. These guys are streaming over our borders, because of goverments that promised them land wealth and a better life for all. There is no free lunch bro......but goverment tell you that.

Blackjew - 2012-06-28 15:41

@ phil, which southafrica do you live in? are commenting from sandton,houghton, kwamhlanga? Do you know how many people in sa survive with a a mere R1000 a month, if fortunate enough to have made 4kids and registered them on social grants, so when you say s.a is land of honey and milk i dont get what you mean. have you seen how many protests against bad service delivery have turned violent? if it was all honey and milk and chocolates, we wouldnt be seeing shacks everywhere, would we?